NASA's Opportunity Rover sent a sad final message before it was destroyed on Mars

The NASA Opportunity Rover shared a final message before it bowed out after 15 years on Mars.

The NASA Opportunity Rover – given the adorable nickname Oppy – was sent to Mars in 2003.

Although initially, NASA had only planned Oppy’s mission to last around 90 days, the rover went on a lot longer. 

After spending nearly 15 years on the Red Planet, Opportunity was caught up in a wild dust storm and sent its final message back down to Earth. 

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The NASA Opportunity Rover sent thousands of images of Mars back to Earth

When it comes to exploring Mars, NASA’s rovers have proved invaluable. 

A recent image sent back by the Perseverance Rover left folks shocked by how similar the planet looks to our own, while the Curiosity Rover managed to smash open a Martian rock and find something that shouldn’t have been there. 

But before Perseverance and Curiosity had blasted off, the NASA Opportunity Rover was sent up to explore the Red Planet. 

It was launched in 2003 with a mission originally planned to last around three months, but it far exceeded that and spent almost 15 years exploring Mars and sending back thousands of images. 

Opportunity helped researchers gain a far better understanding of Mars and the mission is regarded as one of NASA’s most successful ventures ever. 

During its time on Mars, Oppy encountered many dust storms without too much bother, but in 2018, a particularly strong one hit. 

It appears that the solar panels on the Opportunity Rover became covered with dust, and it sent down its final message letting NASA know it was in trouble. 

The message effectively translated to: “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.”

An oddly touching sentiment that hit headlines and got folks around the world feeling slightly emotional about the end of Oppy’s life. 

Despite trying several times, NASA was unable to communicate with Opportunity from that point, and the last message the space agency ever sent to the rover was the song I’ll Be Seeing You performed by Billie Holiday.

Is someone cutting onions?

But there was a little more to the message

While the phrase  “My battery is low and it’s getting dark” captured people’s imaginations, the truth is a little different. 

The shortened message was actually written by science journalist Jacob Margolis, who condensed what two NASA scientists had told him. 

“It basically said we had no power left, and that was the last time we heard from it,”  deputy project scientist Abigail Fraeman told LAist. 

Project manager John Callas chipped in with another poignant detail about the final communication. 

“It also told us the skies were incredibly dark, to the point where no sunlight gets through. It’s nighttime during the day,” he added. 

So, in short: its battery was low, and it was getting dark.

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